The Toyota Lean Manufacturing System

The standard lean manufacturing system has been referenced from the Toyota lean manufacturing system in Japan. Even the lean manufacturing system developed in North America has evolved from its beginnings in the Toyota Production System (TPS) in Japan.

In fact, many of the recognized phrases being used in the lean manufacturing systems in North America and all over the world are Japanese terms such as kanban, kaizen or andon. These Japanese terms originated from the Toyota lean manufacturing systems and have become standard and normal terms in every lean manufacturing systems available in every country.

The Heart Of The Toyota Lean Manufacturing System

Value has been the heart of the Toyota lean manufacturing system. When we say value, it means something that a particular customer desires to pay for or even buy.

As such, if there is value, then there is also non-value in the Toyota lean manufacturing system. Non value are everything that is not of value, meaning all aspects of the Toyota lean manufacturing processes are considered a waste or of no value.

Basically, the Toyota lean manufacturing system has an objective to be used as a tool in focusing all resources or energies in producing certain value-added characteristics while also identifying, acknowledging and eliminating the activities that are of no value.

The Toyota Lean Manufacturing System

The Toyota lean manufacturing is a sort of codification of several ideas into a set of workable harmonies.

First, a company who adopted the Toyota lean manufacturing system must be able to identify a particular customer and how or what is value to them. Afterwards, the Toyota lean manufacturing system will be able to guide the companies and employees to focus their energies into adding value to the goods.

By delineating the existing manufacturing process to the demands of the customer, the Toyota lean manufacturing system will be able to add value to the products or goods. in the end, the customers, the employees and the shareholders of the companies will all be satisfied.

The Waste In The Toyota Lean Manufacturing System

The Toyota lean manufacturing system faces a hindrance in its aims to improve manufacturing processes. The waste has become the focus of the Toyota lean manufacturing system although it is taught that focus and energies must be directed towards the valued goods as wanted by the customers.

Previous manufacturing processes has defined and categorized wastes as objects. The teachings of the Toyota lean manufacturing system, however, expands this view into meaning that wastes are not only objects but can be processes of the manufacturing system.

The Toyota lean manufacturing system rather defines waste in terms of the relationship between the resource and the end customers. Anything therefore that is not of interest to teh customer but incurs expense to the company is a waste for the Toyota lean manufacturing system.

Continuous Improvement In The Toyota Lean Manufacturing System

The Toyota lean manufacturing system is bent on pursuing continuous improvement for all its processes. Any redundant or looping process will have to be terminated or replaced to improve the manufacturing process.

The Toyota lean manufacturing system allows itself to be open and adaptive to any changes. By identifying what wastes are existing in the value stream, immediate and instant gains are acquired and achieved.

The Plan Of Toyota Lean Manufacturing System

The Toyota lean manufacturing system lays out a plan to increase the profitability of companies by reducing the costs that can be incurred. This is done by knowing and tagging what the customers identify as value. therefore, any processes or objects that do not align with this value or do not add value to the object is reduced or eliminated.

When a company adopts the Toyota lean manufacturing system, it knows that it can direct cost savings by eliminating wastes in the system.

Using the Toyota lean manufacturing process, companies can readily see the following improvements in their company:

1. An increased morale and productivity of the employee.

2. Satisfaction for the customer because of reduced defects on the goods and an improved delivery.

3. The goods will also be faster to market.

As was said previously, the Toyota lean manufacturing system is very much customer focused.